Sandwip is an island along the south eastern coast of
Bangladesh.It is also spelled "Sandvip" both are mostly used.It is a
sub-division of Chittagong District. It is situated at the estuary of the Meghna
River on the Bay of Bengal and separated from the Chittagong coast by the
Sandwip channel. It has a population of nearly 400,000. There are 15 unions in
Sandwip. There are also as many as fifteen different wards, 62 mahallas and 34
villages on Sandwip Island. The entire island is 50 kilometers long and 5-15
kilometers wide.

HistorySandwip Island in Bangladesh has a great
historical legacy. The island itself is about 3000 years old and it has been
ruled by many different people over the centuries, including Delwar Khan. It was
a Portuguese and Arakanese pirate stronghold during the 17th century and even
today some of the architecture on the island reflects this part of the
island’s history. However, the governor of Bengal saw fit to put an end to
this in 1665 as part of attempts to stop his people from being misled by the
wild fancies of these unreligious and thieving individuals. Under British rule
its location proved to be a bit of an administrative problem. Today it is well
and truly a part of Bangladesh. It is not very developed, but where it is
developed you may see remnants of its interesting past.

EcologyOne of the nice things about Sandwip Island in Bangladesh
is that it has been formed by silt deposits from the Meghna river. This makes it
an incredibly fertile island – something which the people of the island have
been exploiting for years. Large crops of rice, dal, vegetables, coconuts,
battle leave and wheat have all been grown on the island at some point in its
history. Today the main crops are melons, mangos, pineapples, gaab, jam, coconut
and various crops. Sandwip has also gained a reputation for being a premier ship
manufacturer. There are a lot of different things to see on this incredible
little island.